Digital three-dimensional manufacturing, also known as digital additive manufacturing, is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. Some digital additive manufacturing systems use ejectors that eject drops of liquid photopolymer material in layers to form three-dimensional objects that are cured with an ultraviolet light from time to time. Other systems use stereolithography, which is an additive manufacturing technique that focuses an ultraviolet laser in a pool of liquid photopolymer to cure layers of a liquid photopolymer to produce a three-dimensional solid object. The stereolithography process involves generating digital image data of the object to be manufactured with a three-dimensional mathematical simulation or computer-aided drafting (CAD) program. The digital image data model is then sliced into extremely thin layers, usually on the order of 0.1 millimeter thick. The data for each image is used to position the pool of liquid photopolymer printer, focus the laser, and move the laser beam from the laser through the pool to build the object a layer at a time. A portion of the pool positioning is the lowering of the platform on which a tank of liquid photopolymer is located to submerge each formed layer with a thin covering of the liquid photopolymer, which is then exposed to the ultraviolet laser to cure another layer of the object. This process continues until all the layers of the object are cured and the stack of cured layers defines the three-dimensional object.
Current three-dimensional printers using stereolithography have significant limitations in terms of photopolymer materials used as well as the speed and precision at which the part can be manufactured. The limited selection of materials and limited precision can lead to manufactured objects having low strength and durability. Consequently, some parts cannot be made with sterolithography techniques so the parts are produced using traditional methods. Therefore, a stereolithography system that is capable of quickly producing durable objects would be advantageous.